


She Didn't Know It Then

by whenyouwanttosucceed



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-20
Updated: 2014-06-20
Packaged: 2018-02-05 12:26:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1818463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whenyouwanttosucceed/pseuds/whenyouwanttosucceed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was a team sleepover. The very first time that Alex talked to Tobin was at a team sleepover, in the summer going into her sophomore year. It was 11 o’clock at night, the whole Diamond Bar Knights women’s soccer team was gathered around a fire at the back of Tobin’s yard. Tobin’s parents were gone for the night, and the team was camping out in tents before school started. That night was also the night that Alex fell for Tobin. But she didn’t know that then.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Team Sleepover

**Author's Note:**

> this is my very first fic ever and this is the first of probably a couple parts. Leave me feedback!!

APM  
“Alex. Hey Alex.” I looked around the circle, trying to find the voice that was calling my name. Our whole team was sitting around the fire, laughing, chatting, and trying to fit in some “team bonding” before pre-season started. Finally I spotted Tobin Heath, a varsity junior who I’ve never really talked to, say my name from across the fire.  
“Yeah?” I question.  
“You follow the U.S. Women’s National Team, right?”  
“Yeah.” I wonder how she knows. It isn’t exactly a secret, but it probably isn’t evident to a virtual stranger, either.  
“Did you watch the game tonight?”  
“No,” I answer.  
“They won, 3-1,” she informs me.  
“Yeah, I know,” I tell her. I had been keeping up with the game on twitter.  
I glance over at her. She returned talking to her best friend, Lauren Cheney. We went to a small school, and it was pretty much common knowledge that Tobin and Lauren are best friends. They have been since Tobin had moved here from New Jersey in the sixth grade.  
Suddenly, our senior keeper, Hope, spoke up. “Let’s play Never Have I Ever,” she says over the din of the crackling fire. Never Have I Ever is a team bonding classic. It’s simple, someone names something that they’ve never done, and everyone else goes around and says “ping” if they’ve done it and “pass” if they haven’t. We start off simple; “never have I ever cheated on a test (I say ping, along with everyone else), never have I ever broken a bone (almost everyone pinged again, we are the soccer team after all), and never have I ever gotten suspended from school (pass).” We play a couple more rounds, and I walk up to the house to get a bottle of Gatorade. When I get back, I notice that Ali Krieger took my spot between Kelley and Ashlyn. I don’t say anything because I don’t want to disrupt the game. I take the only open seat in the circle, the seat right next to Tobin. Then, Sydney speaks up.  
“Never have I ever kissed a boy.” Then she adds, “Ping.” Everyone on the team knows that Syd, a junior, has a boyfriend in college that she’s probably done a lot more with than just kiss.  
“How about: never have I ever kissed a guy in high school? Middle school kisses don’t count,” Mewie adds. We go around the circle, with most of the younger girls passing and most of the older, more popular girls pinging. Finally, it’s my turn. “Pass,” I say and look to Tobin. The truth is, I’ve never kissed a guy ever, but no one else needs to know that. Tobin passes, and I’m surprised. Tobin’s a pretty popular junior, and she has a lot of friends. She seems like the kind of girl that goes to cool parties and hooks up with cute guys from other schools. At the same time, Tobin is kind of quirky, and she plays for a national club team when she isn’t playing high school, so she probably isn’t home a lot.  
Next, someone says, “Never have I ever smoked.” To my surprise, every single person, including me, passes.  
“We’re going to state!” One of our senior captains, Carli Lloyd jokes. Tobin laughs, and I glance over at her. Her face is pulled into a wide smile, and the messy bun on top of her head bounces every time she laughs. The firelight flickers on her face, and I realize how beautiful she really is.  
As it gets later and later at night, the questions get more and more M rated, and I pass on almost all of them. Usually, so does Tobin. I keep feeling that I should get closer to her. I want to reach out and feel her hand, or let my bare feet touch hers. Or kiss her. I quickly shake the thought out of my head, trying to figure out where it came from. I don’t even like girls, not in that way, I tell myself. Besides, I barely even know her.  
At around 4, Hope announces that she’s tired and is heading off to bed. Seeing that no one else can think of any other good questions, the rest of us head back to our tents too. I’m sharing mine with Kelley, Ashlyn, Ali, and Heather. The last thing I hear is Tobin yelling, “Good night everyone! I love you all!”  
I wake up with a smile on my face.


	2. The Team Picnic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the second of probably a couple parts. Sorry it took a little while. I finished it yesterday, but I had a terrible headache so I didn’t upload it. Hopefully this will speed up soon. Leave me feedback!!

APM  
“Alex, let’s go, we’re going to be late!” My mom yelled up the stairs as she walked out of the front door.  
“Coming,” I hollered back.

It was the day before school started, and time for the annual Women’s Knights Soccer kickoff picnic. That meant the last day of the preseason, and the day before the actual season started. All of the players and their families gathered at Tobin’s house to celebrate the end of summer. The rosters had been announced the day before, the jerseys had already been handed out, and game schedules had been sent and marked in calendars. It was like Christmas Eve. 

I quickly pulled on a tie-dye v-neck, a pair of blue Nike training shorts, and slid on a pair of comfortable brown flip-flops. I tied my hair up into a high ponytail, grabbed the plate of cookies that my mom had left out for me to carry, and climbed into the backseat of our car with my sister.  
When we pulled into Tobin’s neighborhood, I felt my mouth get dry and my palms get sweaty. As I climbed out of the car and walked across the street, I felt my heart start to beat slightly faster. What was going on? Why was I so nervous? These were the same people who I had spent my entire summer with.   
I tried to mentally calm myself down as I walked into Tobin’s yard. I paused for a second to take in my surroundings. Most of the little siblings were running around playing hide-n-go-seek, the parents were socializing on the patio, and my teammates were sitting on blankets towards the back of Tobin’s yard. I walked up the two stairs into Tobin’s kitchen to put the plate of cookies with the others, but physically stopped in my tracks as soon as I saw who was there. Tobin stood facing the counter, wet hair hanging down her back, helping her mom organize the food. Her mom looked up, and noticed me standing there, dumbfounded.   
“Oh hey Alex. You can put the cookies right there,” she said, gesturing to an open spot with a shrug of her shoulder.  
“Thanks, Mrs. Heath,” I stuttered like a complete idiot, put the plate down, and turned to leave the kitchen. Pull yourself together. I’m a fucking sophomore. I’ve done this before. What’s so nerve wracking about a picnic with my soccer team? Exactly. Nothing. So relax.

After everyone had eaten their fill of pasta and fruit salad, our coach, Tom, got up to make his usual speech.  
“I’d like to thank everyone for coming, and thank you to the Heath’s for hosting again this year. I’m really looking forward to this year of Knight’s Women’s Soccer, and I think that this is a great group of girls with many talents and skills. First of all, I’d like to introduce my coaching staff this year. For those of you have have been with the program in the past, you know my assistant coach Dawn Scott, who also helps to train and condition the girls. Dawn and I will be coaching the varsity team during the regular season. As our junior varsity coach, I’ve recently hired Paul Rodgers, who went to Diamond Bar High School from 2000-2004, and played as the starting goalkeeper on the back-to-back state championship teams in 2002 and 2003. He went on to play at Stanford University, and has returned this year as our junior varsity and goalkeeping coach.   
Next, I’d like to introduce our seniors, Hope Solo, Kristie Mewis, Carli Lloyd, and Megan Rapinoe. All four of them will be playing varsity with us this year, and all four of them will serve as captains for the 2013 season. This is also the last class of girls who was on the team in 2010 during our state championship win. I’m proud to say that two of these four so far will be attending college to play soccer; Kristie Mewis had committed to play at California State University, and Carli Lloyd has committed to play at USC. Let’s hear a round of applause for our seniors.”   
At this the surrounding parents began to applaud the four girls. I looked around, and saw Tobin sitting towards the side of our group, leaning against the fence. She had a wide smile on her face, and you could tell that she was genuinely happy for the seniors. Then, Tom continued his speech.  
“Third, our schedule has changed once again. If you’ve looked at our game lineup for this season, certain teams that we’ve usually played in the past have dropped us off of their game list, and so I’ve done my best to find us opponents that are a reasonable distance away, but are good competition in order to prepare us for the tournament. As usual, the league games will take place...”  
While Tom continued his talk about the schedule, I glanced around. Tobin’s house was pretty large, probably due in part to the fact that both her mom and dad were doctors. Tobin had twin siblings, a boy and a girl that were in 5th grade. From my spot in the grass, I could see Tobin’s window. I saw that her walls were blue, I had known that from seeing pictures on Twitter and Instagram. But that’s all I knew of Tobin’s room. I didn’t know what pattern her comforter was, where she put her dirty socks, or what color her door was. I didn’t know how she decorated her walls, how big her closet was, or if she had a desk. I didn’t know where she kept her tissues, how many pillows she slept with, or where she charged her phone. But I wanted to. I wanted to know her room as well as I know my own. I wanted to recognize the scent of her candles and know where I could find a clean t-shirt. I wanted to spend countless nights in that room, looking up at the ceiling, and listening to her breathe. I wanted to be close to Tobin, whether it was in that room or anywhere else.   
“Do we know why these teams have dropped us off their schedule?” The strong voice of Tobin’s dad separated me from my thoughts.  
“No, I tried to ask but got no response. For all I know, they just didn’t want to play us,” Tom answered. He glanced around, waiting to know that every other parent was satisfied with his reasons. Then, he continued.  
“Lastly, just a few housekeeping notes. On every day that we don’t have games, we will practice on the turf on Tuesdays and Fridays, and practice on the grass on every other day. I will be sending out weekly emails with the schedule, and you are expected to arrive 15 minutes early to every practice, and 45 minutes early to every game. JV players are required to stay for one half of every home varsity game, and it is mandatory that all players ride the bus home from away games. Freshman on JV will be assigned to ball-girl all varsity home games, and that list will be sent out shortly. There will usually be a team dinner before every league game, and the Saurbrunn’s will be in charge of coordinating the dinners. Also, for every home game we will need varsity parents to work the concession stand during JV games, and JV parents to work during varsity games. Finally, a couple of reminders for the girls. During the fall season, if there is any evidence of you doing anything against school policy, including drinking and using illegal substances underage, academic dishonesty, or transmitting inappropriate content using social media, you will be banned from participating in any sports during that season. Also, if you are failing 2 different core classes for a period of 2 weeks or more, you are banned from practicing and playing sports until you raise one or both of the grades. Lastly, my own personal reminder. Under no circumstance whatsoever should any part of either your home or away uniform be worn or brought into an environment where it could become lost, damaged, or destroyed. You are not allowed to wear any part of either uniform unless you are playing in, coming home from, or arriving to a game. On that note, thank you to all of the parents for allowing your daughter to be a part of this program, thank you to the Heath’s for organizing and hosting tonight, and thank you to the girls for putting up with me. Let’s have a great season!”   
Everyone chuckled at the last few comments and began to rise from their seats and collect their dishes and trash. I got up and threw away my empty Gatorade bottle and paper plate.  
While everyone was collecting their things and making conversation before everyone left, I stood near the corner of the patio, and observed. I saw my parents talking to other parents about carpool and concession stand schedules. I saw my little sister in conversation with some other middle school girls about the hottest new boy band. I saw my teammates and closest friends comparing notes on outfits for the first day of school. And I saw Tobin, half involved in the conversation, half in her own world, as usual. And in that moment, I understood something that I had been avoiding for a long time. I had a crush on Tobin.


	3. Starbucks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chaper takes place a few months after the 2nd. Please leave some feedback!!

APM  
It was 6th period, on a Friday. I was in study hall, and I knew Tobin was in art. I unlocked my phone and sent her a text.  
Hey can you give me a ride home?  
She responded almost immediately.  
Sure, no problem.  
Tobin was only a couple of months older than I was, but she had her own car, and she lived only a couple of blocks away from me. Plus, I loved being in her car more than almost anything.

A period and a half later, I was walking to the library with Tobin so she could see the grade that she got on her calc quiz after school. I set my backpack on the floor and pulled out a chair. I watched as she studied her paper; the joyful expression on her face when she got a question right, and the deep concentration on her face when she was trying to figure out what she did wrong. I could look at that face all day.  
Sadly, soon enough we were driving out of the almost empty school parking lot and down the main road of Diamond Bar on our way home. She fiddled with the radio dials when we were stopped at a red light, and soon found a song that was a couple of years old. She turned it up, and started dancing in her seat. I looked over at her and burst out laughing. She grinned back at me. That smile could light up a room. “Watch the road,” I informed her in between chuckles. “The light’s green.” She started driving, still dancing slightly with the biggest grin on her face. This is why I love you.  
“Do you want to go to Starbucks?” She asked me, glancing over.  
“Yeah, why not?” I responded, sending a quick text to my mom, telling her that I would be home a little late.

 

Less than 5 minutes later, we pulled into the parking lot and walked into the store. I had only been able to find two dollars in my backpack, so I bought a kids size hot chocolate. Tobin ordered a tall peppermint mocha. We sat down at a table by the window, and I immediately felt nervous. We talked for a while about everything: school, soccer, friends, gossip. Actually, Tobin did most of the talking while I spent my time figuring out how to not make a complete fool of myself. Eventually, there was a pause in our conversation. She tilted her head slightly to one side, and shot me a puzzled stare. I did my best to ignore the fact that she was looking at me, and I looked at the shelves behind her head.  
“Why won’t you look at me?” She questioned. Because if I look at you there will be nothing else for me to do but kiss you.  
“I don’t know,” I laughed a little, not knowing what else to do. I took another sip of my drink, realizing that it was empty. I got up and threw it away, and returned to the table to wait for Tobin to finish her drink. We sat in comfortable silence until Tobin threw her cup away. All too soon, we were walking back to her car. 

When she pulled into my driveway, I got out and grabbed my backpack from the back seat. She honked as I started walking up my front steps, and I threw a wave over my shoulder. She drove away, and I turned around to watch her go. I stood there until I couldn’t see her car anymore, but the butterflies in my stomach still remained.


End file.
